Cab-boor



J. B. STRAUSS.

CAR DOOR.

APPLICATION man JULY 21.1912.

1,193,440. PatentedAug. 1,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

7%232 eases III/111M! J. B. STRAUSS.

CAR DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 21.1912.

1,193,440., Patented Aug. 1,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

A Cf- JOSEPH B. STRAUSS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINCPIS.

CAR-DOOR.

mae tro.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

Application filed. July 27, 1912. Serial No. 711,931.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn B. Srnnuss, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful lmjn-ovement in Car-Doors, of which the following is a specification.

This in.ention relates to improvements in car doors and has for its object to provide a new and improved device of this description.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a front view of one form of car door embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional View taken on line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. l: is an enlarged vertical section; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. l showing the door swung out ready to be moved sidewlse. Fig. (l is a detail view showing one form of looking device for the door.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several figures.

Referring now to the drawings, I have shown a car 1 having a side wall 2 provided with a door opening. The door opening is provided with side frame pieces 3 which are PIOY'lClGCl with suitable guide ways for the door sections. The door in the particular construction shown consists of the two sections 4: and 5, one section closing the upper half of the door opening, the other section closing the lower half thereof. At each side of the door, there is provided a pinion 6 fastened in position. This pinion is engaged by the racks 7 and S on the door sections at and 5, said acks engaging the pinions on opposite sides thereof so that the one sec tion will balance the other in all of the various positions of the two sections. Each pinion 6 is fastened to a movable side frame piece 9 which as shown consists of a channel piece, one portion of which projects into the guide way of the side frame piece 3, the other portion of which extends parallel with the door sections on the outside thereof. It will be seen that when the bottom section is moved upwardly, the top section will be moved downwardly, the two sections passing each other until they reach a position where one is directly behind the other. In this position, there will be an open space at the bottom and an open space at the top, each 'of said spaces being equal to one half the height of the door sections. I prefer to have the two door sections of the same height as shown. The side frame pieces 3 each have guiding grooves 10 which may be formed in any desired way as by means of the projecting parts 11 and 12. The outside projecting part llextends from the bottom part way up and from the top part way down as shown in Fig. 1, there being an intermediate portion where the projecting parts 11 and 12 are cut away. This intermediate portion is equal in length to the height of one of the door sections so that when the door sections are in their full open position where one is directly behind theother, they can be moved outwardly out of the groove so that they may then he slid sidewise to completely open the door opening. The movable side frame pieces 9 are of such length that they can be moved laterally into the grooves 10 at the points where the projections 12 are cut away. In the drawings, these movable side frame pieces are shown as just of the proper length to fit into these cut-away por tions. The movable side frame pieces are also provided with confining devices 13 on opposite sides of the door sections which hold the two door sections together. These confining devices are shown as rollers so as to reduce the friction and are connected to a bracket 14- fastened to the movable side frame pieces 9, the portion of each side frame piece parallel with the door sections provided with an opening through which the roller 13 passes. '(See Fig. The movable side frame pieces 9 are suspended upon the hangers 15 which are fastened thereto. and which may be bent outwardly at the top as shown, said hangers engaging a rail or support 16 located above the door opening. The hangers 15 are preferably provided with rollers 17 which engage said support. Stops 18, 18 are provided which limit the side movement of the hangers. The door section a may be provided with a small door 19 which can be opened to fill the car. If desired the side wall of the car may be provided with guide brackets 20 which act as guides for the bottom of the door when it is outside of the car.

I have illustrated in Figs. :2 and 6 one form of locking device for the door] This locking device consists of a cam 21 which passes through an opening in that portion of the side frame pieces 9 parallel with the door sections so as to engage the angular piece 2:2 by means of which the rack 7 is fastened to the door section. The cam is pivoted at 23. The end of the cam is provided with an openin 24: adapted when the cam is moved in its locking position to register with a similar opening in the fixed part 25. When it is desired to lock the doors when closed or when'in their partially open position so as to air out the car and prevent intruders from entering, the cam is moved so that'the end thereof tightly engages the piece 22. A look is then passed through the opening 2% and through the part 25 so as to lock the cam in this position. There may be two cams, one on each side of the door. When the car is used for grain, the pressure of the grain with the ordinary door makes it very difficult to open the door. This is avoided in the present construction. The bottom door, for example, may be slightly moved up thereupon relieving the pressure and permitting enough of the grain to be removed to relieve the pressure sufliciently to permit the doors to be easily opened. It will further be noted that .the door sections are suspended, as it Were, as from the center while they are being moved outwardly to their sliding position. The hangers 15, as herein shown, are pivotally connected with the side framfe pieces 9 at 26 so that the doors maybe freely swung out and will yet be kept close to the car and can be slid back on to the brackets 20. The ends of the side frame pieces 9-are connected together by the connecting pieces 27 so as to hold them in proper relation to the doors when the doors are swung out of the opening. These connecting pieces are in such a position that they extend across the space which is always occupied by the doors whether they are open or closed, and they therefore do not obstruct the door opening. The hangers 15 may'also be connected to gether at the top by the connecting piece 28.

I have shown in detail a particular construction for purpose of illustration but it is, of course, evident that the parts may be varied in construction and arrangement without'departing from the spirit of my invention.

--The use and operation of my invention are as'follows: When the door is in position and completely closed, the parts are in position as shown in Fig. 1 where the lower section extends to the bottom of the door opening and the upper section to the top of the door opening, the upper and lower parts of each section projecting into the grooves 10 in the side frame pieces 3. If now it is desired to open the door completely, the sections are moved by grasping one section, until one section is directly back of the other. When in this position, there will be an open space at the top and the bottom, and the two sections of the door will occupy that portion of the door space where the projecting parts 12 are cut away. One of the door sections may now be grasped and pulled outwardly carrying with it the other door section and the movable side frame pieces 9, pinions 6 and brackets 14 and associated parts. T hesc parts are then moved outwardly as shown in Fig. 5. The door sections and the hangers may then be moved sidewise, the entire structure being supported upon the rail 16, until the door is moved to one side of the door space so as to leave a completely open door space. When it is desired to again close the door, the door sections are moved back into position opposite the middle portion of the door as shown in Fig. 5, and are then moved inwardly so as to be flushed with the outside wall of the car and until the sections are opposite the grooves 10. The sections are then moved one upwardly and the other downwardly to their closed positions. 1V hen it is desired to only partially open the door, the upper section may be moved downwardly so as to carry the lower section upwardly or vice versa until the proper size opening is secured. The doors may then be locked in this position. As long as the doors are not one directly back of the other, they can not be moved out as shown in Fig. 5 because of the projecting pieces 12. By opening the sections at the top and bottom a small distance, the car can be ventilated without permitting any one getting inside thereof.

Itwill be seen that by means of this con struction, there is provided a car door which is substantially flush with the outer face of the wall of the ear and which can yet be arranged so as to slide sidewise outside of the car to its full open position. This construction avoids a double door, provides means for securing a complete closure, permits ventilation without permitting the en.- trance of intruders and gives a. complete and satisfactory control of the door opening, and at the Same time provides a flush door when closed and an outside door when completely open, thus economizing space and securing economy of construction. By means of this construction, a tight joint is provided so that neither rain nor cinders can get into the doors to injure the cargo. There is no opportunity to insert a crowbar and pry the door open. This door also acts as a grain door as well as an outer door. The tight closure prevents the leaking out of the grain.

I claim:

1. In combination with a car door, comprising two sections movable to register with each other orto project beyond each other in opposite directions, of a mount therefor in a doorway providing upper and lower'wa-lls to engage the end edges of the door sections when extended while leaving,

an intermediate space wherethrough the door may be moved bodily and laterally through the doorway.

2. In combination with a car door, comprising two sections movable to register with each other or to project beyond each other in opposite directions, of a mount therefor in a doorway providing upper and lower walls to engage the end edges of the door sections when extended while leaving an intermediate space wherethrough the door may be moved bodily and laterally through the doorway, a support extending along the outside of the car, and a movable connection between said sections and said support, whereby they may move along the side of the car to a point at one side of the door opening.

3. A car door comprising two sections adapted to he slid up and down in the door opening inside of the plane of the outer face of the wall of the car, pinions at each side of said sections, racks on said sections engaging said. pinions, movable side door frame pieces to which said pinions are fastened, hangers connected with said movable side frame pieces, a support on the outside of the car wall engaged by said hangers whereby, when the door sections are in a predetermined position, said sections and movable side frame pieces may be moved outwardly and slid along the support outside of the car.

4:. A car door comprising two sections connected together so that one section counte'rbalances the other and adapted to be moved in opposite directions, movable side frame pieces with which said sections are connected, a support outside of the car and hangers connected with said support and attached to said movable side frame pieces near their middle.

5. A door comprising two sections connected together so that one section counterbalances the other, movable side frame pieces with which said sections are con nected, hangers connected with said movable side frame pieces and a support for said hangers.

6. A door comprising two sections connected together so that one section counterbalances the other, movable side frame pieces with which said sections are connected, hangers connected with said movable side frame pieces and a support for said hangers, the hangers pivotally connected with the side frame pieces.

7. A door comprising two sliding sections, guides at the top and bottom of the door opening for guiding said sections during their sliding movement laterally movable, side frame pieces in the door opening between said guides, a supporting piece for said side frame pieces connected with the outer face of the car and a movable connection between said supporting piece and said side frame pieces.

8. A door comprising two sliding sections, guides at the top and bottom of the door opening for guiding said sections during their sliding movement laterally movable, side frame pieces in the door opening between said guides, a supporting piece for said side frame pieces connected with the outer face of the car and a movable connection between said supporting piece and said side frame pieces, pinions connected with said side frame pieces, racks connected with the sliding sections and engaging said pinions.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses this 22d day of July 1912.

JOSEPH B. STRAUSS. /Vitnesses:

GENEVA HIRTH, LAUREL DOREMUS.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G. i 

